Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
- JonTerry
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2022 1:45 pm
- Location: Bristol United Kingdom
- Contact:
Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
Hi Guys,
Anyone know a safe method of bringing back the Acid etching on a knife blade ?
I have a Puma White Hunter which I think is 1961 but the Acid Etch is so faint I am afreaid to polish it up to see if there is more writing under the main Etch.
Any tip would be great.
Cheers
JT
Anyone know a safe method of bringing back the Acid etching on a knife blade ?
I have a Puma White Hunter which I think is 1961 but the Acid Etch is so faint I am afreaid to polish it up to see if there is more writing under the main Etch.
Any tip would be great.
Cheers
JT
You do not have a soul, you are a soul, what you have is a body
- 1967redrider
- Gold Tier

- Posts: 21489
- Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:23 pm
- Location: Alexandria, VA
- Contact:
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
JonTerry wrote: ↑Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:03 am Hi Guys,
Anyone know a safe method of bringing back the Acid etching on a knife blade ?
I have a Puma White Hunter which I think is 1961 but the Acid Etch is so faint I am afreaid to polish it up to see if there is more writing under the main Etch.
Any tip would be great.
Cheers
JT
Supposedly a #2 pencil will only remove rust and crud without removing the etch.
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!
You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
CHRIST IS KING
You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
CHRIST IS KING
- JonTerry
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2022 1:45 pm
- Location: Bristol United Kingdom
- Contact:
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
1967redrider wrote: ↑Fri Dec 16, 2022 1:30 pmJonTerry wrote: ↑Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:03 am Hi Guys,
Anyone know a safe method of bringing back the Acid etching on a knife blade ?
I have a Puma White Hunter which I think is 1961 but the Acid Etch is so faint I am afreaid to polish it up to see if there is more writing under the main Etch.
Any tip would be great.
Cheers
JT
Supposedly a #2 pencil will only remove rust and crud without removing the etch.
Cheers Mate..............now...........
Whats a #2 pencil in English is that sorft or hard ? LOL
In the UK we use from 8B which is very soft ..through to 6H very hard ??
Is the number system in the US like this ? if so is #2 at the hard or soft end of the scale ?
You do not have a soul, you are a soul, what you have is a body
-
C-WADE7
- Bronze Tier

- Posts: 1869
- Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2021 12:39 am
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
#2 is the same as HB so medium hardness.
- JonTerry
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2022 1:45 pm
- Location: Bristol United Kingdom
- Contact:
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
Brilliant will try this !!!
Thanks Mate
JT
You do not have a soul, you are a soul, what you have is a body
- Bill DeShivs
- Silver Tier

- Posts: 926
- Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 4:57 am
- Contact:
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
Those blades are usually chrome plated, so using anything abrasive could remove the plating.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
Factory authorized repair for:
Latama
Mauro Mario
LePre
Colonial
KABAR
Hubertus, Grafrath, Ritter
Schrade Cut. Co., Geo Schrade, Pressbutton, Flylock
Falcon/AKC/AGA Campolin
Puma
Burrell Cutlery
Factory authorized repair for:
Latama
Mauro Mario
LePre
Colonial
KABAR
Hubertus, Grafrath, Ritter
Schrade Cut. Co., Geo Schrade, Pressbutton, Flylock
Falcon/AKC/AGA Campolin
Puma
Burrell Cutlery
- btrwtr
- Gold Tier

- Posts: 5479
- Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 11:53 am
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
I never knew that White Hunters had chrome plating. I believe the knife transitioned from carbon steel to stainless at some point early on in production. Is your knife carbon or stainless steel? Does your knife have the date code on the guard? Can you post a picture of the knife to show the etching?
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Wayne
Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
Wayne
Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
- JonTerry
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2022 1:45 pm
- Location: Bristol United Kingdom
- Contact:
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
Yup they made both, think the Chrome plating is true also.btrwtr wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2022 1:45 pm I never knew that White Hunters had chrome plating. I believe the knife transitioned from carbon steel to stainless at some point early on in production. Is your knife carbon or stainless steel? Does your knife have the date code on the guard? Can you post a picture of the knife to show the etching?
The one I have is the last year of Acid Etching the Logo onto the blade before they started stamping during the forging process.
I have a couple of photos here which I had to mess witht settings to enhance the logo as it is very faint, heance my question about methods to revive the etching.
Haave a look at these mate.
Cheers
JT
You do not have a soul, you are a soul, what you have is a body
- btrwtr
- Gold Tier

- Posts: 5479
- Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 11:53 am
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
If the depth of the etch is equal to the light pitting and scratches on the blade I don't know of anything that you could do. Sanding on a very flat surface and/or re-etching carbon steel with ferric chloride can help in some cases but I don't think that would work here. 
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Wayne
Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
Wayne
Please visit My AAPK store https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/catalog/btrwtr
- Bill DeShivs
- Silver Tier

- Posts: 926
- Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 4:57 am
- Contact:
Re: Hoe to revive Acid Etching ??
You can test for chrome plating with gun cold bluing. It will discolor the edge or any other worn areas, but will not discolor the plating.
If the blade is plated, removing any of the plating will send you down the rabbit hole of the finish not matching.
If the blade is plated, removing any of the plating will send you down the rabbit hole of the finish not matching.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
Factory authorized repair for:
Latama
Mauro Mario
LePre
Colonial
KABAR
Hubertus, Grafrath, Ritter
Schrade Cut. Co., Geo Schrade, Pressbutton, Flylock
Falcon/AKC/AGA Campolin
Puma
Burrell Cutlery
Factory authorized repair for:
Latama
Mauro Mario
LePre
Colonial
KABAR
Hubertus, Grafrath, Ritter
Schrade Cut. Co., Geo Schrade, Pressbutton, Flylock
Falcon/AKC/AGA Campolin
Puma
Burrell Cutlery